Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
The Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei died yesterday, days after her ex-boyfriend poured petrol over her and set her on fire at her home in Kenya. Her father said she had reported him multiple times to police for domestic violence. Cheptegei is one of several female athletes killed by their partners recently in Kenya’s elite running town of Iten: Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death in 2021 (her husband is on trial) and Damaris Mutua was found strangled in April 2022 (police are trying to find her Ethiopian boyfriend). Viola Cheptoo of the charity Tirop’s Angels told the WaPo that men, sometimes offering to coach, form relationships with young female athletes seeking a share of their prize money, which often leads to abuse. Across Kenya, the UN says that nearly a quarter of women suffered intimate partner violence last year.
